Mother, potter, wife and much more`

For the past 20 years, 48-year-old Anju Kumar has been churning out pots of all shapes, sizes and designs that have been adorning homes and hotels in India and abroad. And, adding another feather to her cap, she is now ready to prepare 150 planters (life-sized pottery structures) for the Formula 1 Grand Prix 2011.

Potter by chance  
Anju Kumar never thought she would take up this art form as a career but at the same time believes it was destined for her. "I was a student of Springdales and we had these amazing clay modelling classes in school but it was just a hobby for me," Anju said.
Her first solo exhibition of pottery was held in Shangrila in 1990 and she was married with a kid at that time.
"I studied political honours from JMC College and that was the time I started creating paintings and small clay objects for my house. My friends liked them so much that they were all very happy to promote this art form," she added.

Dad, her inspiration
She got married in 1983, in the second year of college. She was fortunate enough to get support from her in-laws as well as parents for her work. "My father is the inspiration for my success and whatever I am today. He also paints and is passionate about it so he never stopped me from working on pottery at any point of time," she added.

family support
Anju can't stop talking about her only son Anmol. She is also all praise for her husband Tarun for his support.
"I am blessed to have a husband who understands my profession. Pottery requires lot of late hours and investment. It doesn't see time and place. I had to dedicate this time through all the years of our marriage and I got all the support that I needed from Tarun," she added.
Her son is a pilot in Kingfisher Airlines but supports her mother's profession. "My husband who is into construction business and son who is a pilot, have different tastes but when we all sit together on the dinner table, we support the ideas and work of each other," she added.

80 solo exhibitions
A self-taught practitioner, she has held 80 solo exhibitions in a career graph spanning 20 illustrious years. In these years, Anju has not only entered the houses of the who's who with her craft but also successfully handled projects for hotels, restaurants, leading architects and art consulting homes like Jaypee, Oberoi and Raddison to name a few. From exporting her wares to the Middle East, USA, UK and Singapore, her work also adorns five-star hotels of the country.

Innovative designs
Through her big and small pots rendered in a thematic textural design, she creates textures that feel like wood, matte, leather, metal. She also experiments with abstract art and graphic designs which are interpreted on wood based panels with ceramic relief work.

message to youngsters
"This art form is becoming very popular now but it wasn't at the time when I stepped in. The young ones who are entering this field should not think that it is an easy job. It requires hours and hours of dedication," she said.
—Paroma Bhattacharya